“Indigenous Peoples Employment Rights Protection Act” stipulates from the very beginning that its aims are to secure the rights of indigenous peoples in their workplace. The purpose of enacting relevant regulations and implementation exists to assist and counsel indigenous peoples to find employment and run businesses. Even though the laws have been made, over the past 30 years, the working and employment conditions faced by indigenous peoples have still raised many concerns. Whether or not a country is advanced is determined by the degree to which human rights, particularly those of ethnic minorities, are protected.
In effect, over the entire employment spectrum from intelligence-intensive high-tech industries to labour-intensive sectors, most indigenous peoples in metropolises fill blue-collar vacancies. The Council of Indigenous Peoples have started to deploy employment specialists, who actively provide the indigenous peoples living in cities with employment counselling. In addition to teaching indigenous peoples to fish, the Council of Indigenous Peoples do not want them to just do the job, but also bring out of the best in them in business entities; hence becoming an important human asset for companies and improve their livelihoods.
The result of the Indigenous Peoples’ Employment Status Survey in 2018 conducted by the Council of Indigenous Peoples indicated that the unemployment rate of indigenous peoples dropped gradually from 8.85% in September 2009, to a record low at 3.88% in December, 2017. It had always remained at 4.00% over the years. According to the survey by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of Executive Yuan, the number was even lower, at 3.66% in December 2017, which has been the lowest national unemployment rate over there cent years. As of March, 2018, the unemployment rate of the indigenous peoples increased by 0.03% with that of December, 2017 at 3.91%. The gap of the unemployment rate between indigenous peoples and Taiwan’s population was 0.25 percentage point, indicating that the unemployment rate of the indigenous peoples has seen a gradual decline.
The report further states that the unemployment gap rate between indigenous peoples and Taiwan’s national population has decreased in recent years. Compared with the past, the workforce of indigenous peoples has improved in leaps and bounds. In terms of employment quality, however, indigenous peoples undertaking labour-intensive jobs, mostly in construction and manufacturing industries, outnumber the national population. Although labour-intensive jobs are not necessarily low-paid, they are likely to be affected by economic conditions and policies such as companies moving overseas, introduction of foreign labour, increases in minimum wage, the five-day work week law, etc. Any policies that can bring a huge impact to the labour market will hit labour-intensive jobs first.
Taiwan’s labour market of the 1970’s and 1980’s, was considered the golden age by the indigenous peoples. Those who were involved in the construction or carpentry industries could earn NT$2,000 to NT$3,000per day. Some senior workers or master carpenters could even be paid more than NT$3,000. These are the good days for indigenous peoples. In recent years, Taiwan experienced a slowdown in economic growth as well as structural transformation, and labour wages were affected as a result. Most labourers suffered from a long overdue pay raise.
The employment structure of the indigenous peoples in the cities reveals that the issues facing them mainly results from companies emigrating from Taiwan and introduction of foreign labourers. Competent authorities should devise comprehensive plans and provide indigenous peoples with employment counselling. Teaching them to fish instead of giving them a fish might more likely improve their livelihood. This might sound clichéd, but it is a practical necessity.
Acting CEO, Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation
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